Nightlock
by UnpublishedNovelist
Summary: Did Foxface mess up or did she know what the Nightlock berries were, and what they did?


Foxface had followed Katniss back from the Cornucopia. She was hungry. Ever since the Careers supplies had been blown up she had no source of food. She had been watching Thresh for a while now but it seemed too dangerous to steal from him. He was powerful and if she was caught, she knew how it would end. So she started to follow 'The Girl On Fire' for the second time during the Games.

She had figured out Katniss' skills with her bow and arrow early on but realised that Katniss would only ever kill for food or if she being provoked. Not having seen Peeta, aside from with the Careers, she couldn't decide if it would be safe or not, but it sure as hell beat starving to death.

She spent her time high up in the trees, sheltering herself from the cold winds and heavy rain with the sleeping bag she had received in the backpack from the cornucopia during the feast. It kept her warm and dry but she felt so enclosed and was beginning to feel quite claustrophobic. She quickly became envious of Katniss and Peeta who had that entire cave to themselves and could actually move around a little without the danger of falling to their death. They had the comfort of each other, someone to talk to. Foxface never had that. Even back in 5 she never really had any friends and her family didn't care about her. She was left to find her own source of food but never knew what was safe or not. One time she ate some sort of berry and ended up throwing up for a week. 'Never again' she thought, and since then she had been taking tiny bits from different people each day. Enough to go unnoticed but to keep her alive. That was her tactic throughout the Games as well. She had been brought up on that lifestyle, there would be no sense in changing it now.

It was early in the morning when she was woken abruptly by the sound of footsteps below. She froze in fear, wondering who it could be, would she go by unnoticed or would this be her final moments? She held her breath and listened more intently. The initial footsteps were heavy and slow but she could also hear the light tread of what could only be a hunter. Katniss. It had to be Katniss and Peeta. She stayed in the tree until they passed, after all, there were only four of them left in the Games, each one of them were so close to winning, she didn't want to cross their path.

Foxface considered this as she followed the pair while they hunted. Four people left… Two of which were working together, and the other was a Career. She wasn't very strong. She could probably handle Katniss if it was one-on-one, but she was definitely no match for Peeta or Cato who both had physical strength to their advantage. Katniss also had her bow and arrow and Cato had his sword. This wasn't going to be fun no matter who she was up against. They all wanted to get out of the Games alive. Her only option was to avoid them altogether, but the Capitol wouldn't have that. They would push all the tributes to one area and have them fight it out. She was sure she would lose. It was inevitable. The only question was how. Would she allow herself to be another victim of the Games or would she decide her own fate?

Foxface became vaguely aware of Katniss and Peeta splitting up. Katniss was staying in the woods whereas Peeta was heading towards the lake to find some food. She realised how hungry she actually was. Katniss and Peeta must have stored some food in the cave with them because Foxface hadn't seen either of them leave in the past couple of days, meaning her food source was practically none existent. She followed Peeta in hopes of taking some of the food he was about to collect. She had a good level of trust in him finding something at least, and she was pretty sure she could take some without him noticing.

Luckily for her, Peeta left everything he was collecting in a pile on the floor while he wandered off in search of more. A couple of bread rolls, an apple and a small chunk of cheese lay next to a plastic sheet on the floor covered in tiny black berries. She instantly recognised them. Nightlock. She remembered learning about them in school, back in 5, but had never seem them up close before. She knew they would kill a person instantly… Just what she needed; a painless end to the Games. She scooped up a handful and took a nibble out of the cheese, her last meal so to speak.

She heard what could only be Katniss rushing through the forrest so she backed out of sight, walking slowly, thinking about her next move. Was she brave enough to do it? Did the audience realise what she was about to do? She heard Katniss in the background shout at Peeta "Oh, and I suppose the apples ate the cheese?". She allowed herself to laugh at this. She wasn't hiding anymore. One mouthful and that was it. She played the Game on her own terms. Didn't kill anyone. Chose when to die. The Capitol wouldn't be happy but she was sure they would have other things to think about. They would probably think this was purely accidental anyway. Just a girl from District 5 making a stupid mistake. But she knew the truth.

She sat down on the floor, took one last look around and emptied her handful of berries into her mouth, biting down on them, feeling the juices flow around her mouth, down her throat.

And then she was gone.


End file.
